Searchlight apparatus



mo. FLETCHER. SEARCHLIGHT APPARATUS.

APPLICATION FILED OCT. 20, I919- 1,418,55 3.' PatentqdJune 6,1922.

WITNESSES: I INVENTOR ATTORNEY y .to attend tovariousother duties.

uni-rs s r HENRY o. FLETCHER, or nainenrom, connnc'ricua snnnonmenr APPARATUS.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, HENRY O. FLETCHER,

acitizen of the United States, residing at- Bridgeport, in the county of Fairfield and State of Connecticut, have invented certain newand useful Improvements in Search light Apparatus, of which the following is a specification, reference being had thereinto the accompanying drawings.

While myinvention is particularly adapted for use on vehicles, it may be employedin the various ways that search lights are used.

Oneobject of my invention is to minimize the timenecessary for operating the light,-

thus affording the operator the opportunity I The present invention is a modification y filed July7, 1919,and differs mainly in the means employed forlighting and extinvguishing the lamp,- also the construction is flector.

simplified and the switching mechanism included within the case, instead of being mounted on bracketsas in thefprevious ap plication.

The present same, thus allowingthe lamp to be lighted in straight-forward position. This is quite an advantage, inasmuch as the lamp may be lighted in any position, and maybe used to illuminate the entire area included in its capacity. i v

The present invention also provides means for readily focusing the lamp within the re- It also provides means for extinguishing the lamp automatically and causing the same to remain extinguished at all times wheninot in use, thus minimizing the amount of cur rent necessary to'operate the lamp. v U

It'also provides mechanism for automatically lighting the lamp when trained upon an object,- relieving the operator.ofthecare and time necessary for this operation; It

simplifiesconstruction and which functions to effectively light and'extinguish the lamp without any unnecessary labor.

Other objects and advantages, combina tions and details of construction will appear from a description of preferred embodiments of the invention shown in "the accompanying drawings, in which,

Fig. 1 is a rear elevation of one embodi-,

. ment of the invention;

7 Specification of Letters Patent.

51%) pending application,-Ser. No. 309,003,,

invention provides. means for lighting the lamp prevlous to turnlng the the same embodiment;

bodiment of the invention;

the form shown. in Fig.3; and

Fig. 5 is a diagrammatic view showing a--,

preferred arrangement "of the electric connections.

Referring to the drawings of 2, the yoke'l is pivoted'a t 2' in bracket, 3,

ics.

' Patented June 6, 1922. Application filed October 20, 1919. Serial No. 331,895. I i I Fig.2 is'avertical central crossssection or and the lamp, case 4 is pivoted at 5-and Gin] 1 a yoke 1.1 Pivot 2 shownin cross 'sectionin Fig. 2,;consistsofa pintle pin 7 carried by oke 1 and" journaled within suitable bearings 8fand 9, spaced apartwithin a] sleeve 10,.fixed in bracket 3. Loosely mounted the on'pintle 7 betweenbearings 8 and 9 are collars 11 and 12. Collarllqhasfanabuuq ment 13' which engages abutmentv 14 vonqbear; p ing 8, and also carries abutment15 which engages with abutment} 16 onv pintle 7. On

gages collar 11, and the other engages'collar 12 in such a manner as. to force'abutmentla against abutment 16,-and also'to hold abutnormally holding theentire construction;

' equilibrium. 1

ment. 17 firmly againstlabutmen't 18. .The; f U

abutment 14 on bearing 8 is in such position as to engage abutment 13yon collar" 11.- and abutment 20 on bearing 9. isiin-gposition .toengage abutment 19 on collar ;12, thus Within the sleeve 22 isia similar construck I tion to that just;described, which holds the lamp in equilibrium onpivots 5' and 6 in-thesame manner as the previouslydescribed The lamp 23 is inserted within sleeve 25 which is held in position by the split sleeve 25 rigidlymounted on the reflector 241 and clamped by the yoke 26 and the clamp screw 27, thus holding it in the properly focused position. The contact springs 28 and 29. are mounted 'on-insulations 30 and 31. The

yoke 32 is pivotally mounted at 33 on sleeve a 25, and the y0ke34 carrying the operating lever, or handle '36 is pivotally mounted at 7 n -38. ony k 3 thusa ingu i versal movement of operating handle 36..

The plungers 39 are slidably mounted with in cylindrical guides 40, and their movement limited thereby, and held lightly against the operating handle 36 on four sides by compression springs 41, thus operating to hold it in position within the casing.

, The contact ring 42carried by and insulated from the casing is electrically con nected to contact spring 28" by wire 43, and the contact disc 44 is carried by and insulatedfrom the operating handle 36, and has direct connection through wire 45 to the battery or other electrical supply. The contact spring 29 is connected through wire 46 also to the electrical supply.

It will be' noticed that the outside diame.

ter of contact disc 44 is slightly smaller than the inside diameter of contact ring 42, thus serving to keep the electrical circuit open when operating handle 36 is in inoperative posltion. The compression sp-rlngs 41 have -much less tension than torsional springs 21, so that when the ope-rating handle 36 is. de-'- 25 fl'ected in any direction from inoperative position, the first action is to compress one or more of springs 41, causingathe contact disc 44'to make electrical contact with contact ring 42, thus completing the circuit and lighting the lamp. 7

It will be noticed that by this action the lamp is lighted before it is turned in any direction, and the rays directed straight ahead.

; spring 21' and the rays Ifadditional pressure is added to the operatinghandle 36 to the right or to the left, the-yokel isturned on pintle 2, thusovercoming the tension of the torsional of the light deflected accordingly. i

' If'suiiicient pressureis exerted to the op crating handle 36 in an upward or downwarddirection, the lamp 1s lighted and turned on pintles 5 and 6, and the rays directed upward ordownward. If pressure is applied to the operating handle 36 in anangular direction, the yoke l is turned on pin-tie 7 and the lamp 4 is also turned on pi-ntles 5 and 6, thus deflecting the rays of the lamp; accordingly. I

It will be seen by this arrangement'that the lamp will be lighted. if pressure is ap-" plied to the operating handle 36in any di rection, and also if sufficient pressure is applied to operating handle 36 the lamp may be turned'in any direction.

Upon relie-ving'the pressure of the operating handle 36'the plunger-s 39 immediately return the operating handle to inoperative position in the housing by reason of the ac tion of the springs 41, thusbreaking the contact between contact disc 44 and contact-ring 42, opening-the circu-i-t andeXti-nguishing thelamp, and the lamp, immediately is retirrned to} normalposition by reason of the action of theetorsional-springs within sleeves 1.0-

and 22, and held by abutments as above described. If it is desired to adjust the lamp 23 in focusing position in reflector 24, the clamp screw 27 is loosened, releasing the pressure on the clamp yoke 26, whlch allows the sleeve 25 and the lamp 23 to slide within split sleeve 25 by movement whichmay be imparted from operating handle 36, and the clamp screw 27 may be then tightened, which holds the lamp 23 firmly inplace.

Referring to Figs. 3 and 4,"yoke 46 is piv otedat 47 in bracket 48, and the lamp casing 49 is pivoted at 50 and 51 in yoke 46, The operating handle 52 is universally mounted on-pivots 53 and 54 carried by the bracket 55 fast on the case 49. Thefiat springs'56 press against handle 52 onfour sides, The stops 57 limit the movement of springs 56,

thus holding the handle 52 in inoperative position. The contact disc 58, mounted on and insulated-from the operating handle 52, is connected to the electrical supply; and the contact ring 59, mounted on'and insulated from the case 49-, is electrically connected to contact pin 59*. 1 The contact'pin 60 is also connected to the source of electrical supply.

It will thus be seen thatif the operating handle 52 is deflected in any direction, the

contact disc 58 will I make electric contact with contact ring 59, thus completing the circuit andlighting the lamp 61. I

. Extending from the bracket 48 is an arm 62, to which one end of the cable 63is1connected, the other end being connected at'64 to grooved pulley 65. The pulley 65 is loosely mounted on pivot 66. One end of torsional spring 67 is. attached to pivot 66,

the other end being connected to the' pulley 65. When the lamp is turned in any direction from the posit-ion shown, the cable 63 is caused to pay out through the opening 68 inthe case 49, and thus unwinding froin the pulley, 65 causing it to revolve and wind up the spring 67. U ponreleasing the pressure upon the lamp the tension of the spring 67 causeszthe pulley 65. to rewind the cable 63 and return the lamp' again to its normal.

position. 1

The tensions exerted by torsional spring 67 and flat springs 56' are suchthat the flat springs .56 will be operated to make electric lamp case 4 andmay be swung downwardso that the cam-shaped -surface 7O will deflect the operating handle 36, and hold-the GOHtact disc 44 against con-tact ring 42 thus many changes of detail and combinations of construction maybe resorted to without departing from the spirit and scope of my invention.

Having thus described preferred embodimerits of my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is 2' 1. In an apparatus of the kind described, a movable lamp, means for resisting the movement of said lamp, a lamp moving member movable relative to said lamp, means of different strength than said resisting means for resisting such relative movement, and lamp lightingmeans actuable by said member. 1

2. In combination, a universally movable lamp, a lighting switch for said lamp, and a member mounted for universal movement relativeto said lamp and actuable through a continuous movement in any direction serially to actuate said switch and move S11l lamp.

3. In combination, a turnable lamp, means- .for lighting and extinguishing said lamp,

and means actuable by a continuous movementto actuate said first means to light and then toturn sald lamp.

4. In combination, a turnable lamp, means to light and extinguish said lamp, and -a lever for turning said lamp fulcrumed on said lamp and movable relative thereto to actuate said means. j

5. In combination, aturnable lamp, a lever for turning said lamp fulcrumed on said lamp, a switch contact movable with said lever, a cooperating switch contact fixed to said lamp, and a lighting circuit controlled by said contacts.

6. In combination, a universally turnable lamp, a lever for turning said lamp universally fulcrumed on said lamp, a switch eontact controlled by said lever, a cooperating switch contact carried by said lamp andengageable by said first contact on movement of said lever in any direction from one position relative to said lamp, and means tending to retain said lever in said one position.

7. In combination, a uniyersally turnable lamp, a lever for turning said lamp univer sally fulcrumed on said lamp, a switch contact controlled by said lever, a coopmeans tending to 'retain said lever in said one position, and means tending to retain sald lamp in a definite position.

. 8. In combination, a universally turiiable I lamp, a lever for turning said lamp universally fulcrumed on said lamp, a switch contact controlled by said lever, a cooperating switch contact carried by said lamp and engageable by said first contact on movement of said lever in any direction from one position relative to said lamp, means tending to retain said lever in said one position, and means for holding said'lever in position to engage said contacts.

9. In combination, a' lamp having a reflector and a light source movable relative to said reflector, means for lighting and 6X? tinguishing said lamp, and a lever rockable on its fulcrum to actuate said means and actuable to move said light source relative to said reflector. V

10. In combination, a movablelamp having ar'eflector and a light source movable relative to said reflector, means for lighting and extinguishing said lamp, anda lainp movinglever fulcrumed on said lamp and controlhng said means by movingabout said fulcrum and also movableto adjust said f light source relative tosaid reflector.

11. In combination, a lamp having a rei fiector and a light source movable relative to said reflector, means for lighting and extinguishing said lamp, a lever movable about its'fulcrum to control saidmeans and connected to said light source and operable to move said source relative to said reflector,

and means for holding said source fixed relative to said reflector.

12. In. combination, ,a turnable lam p, a I

lighting switch'for said lamp, and a lamp turning and switch actuating member having said lamp, and means normally holding said member in lamp'extinguishing position.

14-- In combination, a pivoted lamp, a member movable on said lamp. for lighting and extinguishing said lamp, returning HENRY o. FLETCHER.

means normally holding said member in. 

